Water Woes

 

   Although I would prefer to avoid the awful things now occurring, a recent article compels me to issue this alert: "Our drinking water may soon disappear!"

   I read the article which is the first one listed above and both the graphic and the article are from the New York Times. It was written by a team and the data supporting it were substantial. The other articles pictured above constitute a series and there may be more. If you can access them, do so. "America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There's No Tomorrow," is in the Aug. 28 issue. The "Big Farms" one is from Sept.3, the "Colorado City" one from Sept.5 and the "Monster Fracks" from Sept.25.

   I will offer my simple summary of the core article by suggesting that we are all living in Arizona now and that assertion is based on a lot of data. Here are some extracts from the article:

   "Many of the aquifers that supply 90 percent of the nation’s water systems, and which have transformed vast stretches of America into some of the world’s most bountiful farmland, are being severely depleted. These declines are threatening irreversible harm to the American economy and society as a whole. 

   The New York Times conducted a months-long examination of groundwater depletion, interviewing more than 100 experts, traveling the country and creating a comprehensive database using millions of readings from monitoring sites. The investigation reveals how America’s life-giving resource is being exhausted in much of the country, and in many cases it won’t come back. Huge industrial farms and sprawling cities are draining aquifers that could take centuries or millenniums to replenish themselves if they recover at all.

“There is no way to get that back,” Don Cline, the associate director for water resources at the United States Geological Survey, said of disappearing groundwater. “There’s almost no way to convey how important it is.”

   This analysis is based on tens of thousands of groundwater monitoring wells that dot the nation. The Times collected data for these wells, which are widely scattered and often poorly tracked, from dozens of federal, state and local jurisdictions....

   One of the biggest obstacles is that the depletion of this unseen yet essential natural resource is barely regulated. The federal government plays almost no role, and individual states have implemented a dizzying array of often weak rules....

   The federal government sets rules on groundwater, but not its overuse or depletion, although experts say Congress has the constitutional authority to do so. Overall, federal responsibility for water is scattered among a half-dozen different agencies....

   America’s approach to regulating water is “a total mess,” said Upmanu Lall, director of the Columbia Water Center at Columbia University.

   “From an objective standpoint, this is a crisis,” said Warigia Bowman, a law professor and water expert at the University of Tulsa. “There will be parts of the U.S. that run out of drinking water.”

   In the very near future, thirsty people will be found throughout the country. Minnesota, the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" is not excluded, nor is Maryland, the state in which I grew up. Charles County, "which contains fast-growing suburbs of Washington, has used most of its groundwater for homes and agriculture. And, it isn't coming back anytime soon."

Canadian Content

   Canada is not mentioned, but it is not difficult to find articles that indicate concerns about this commodity in our country. Tofino, one of the wettest places I have been, has nearly a dry reservoir and has issued water restrictions and this headline indicates lack of water is a problem elsewhere: "Gulf Islands Water Woes an Ominous Omen For the Rest of B.C." Also in that province, there are major issues between the U.S. and Canada involving the Columbia River and the water in it and it is not too difficult to imagine that there will soon be increased demands in the U.S. from some of the Great Lakes, one of which supplies water to London. Let's hope that Line 5 does not burst under the Straits of Mackinac.

Post Script:
  The water-related news continues to be bad, which is one reason I decided to bring up an issue we would rather not think about. When you do think about it, you realize that it is rather amazing that we plop down housing developments and assume that water will magically come up to supply the residents. Among the news stories one learns that the folks living in New Orleans soon may run out of drinking water, although they generally have to worry about having too much water, and salt water intrusion is a problem in many coastal areas. (see, for example, "A Saltwater Wedge Climbing the Mississippi River Threatens Drinking Water: New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell Signed an Emergency Declaration Friday as Saltwater Threatens the City," Brady Dennis, Washington Post, Sept. 22, 2023.)

Even the Panama Canal is 'Thirsty.'
   The picture above shows ships waiting to enter the Panama Canal. Who knew that it takes 50 million gallons of fresh water from the Gatun Lake to move one ship through the canal and that daily the Panama Canal uses three times as much water as all of New York city? If you are still waiting for that fridge to come from the Far East, it may be delayed because of a lack of water. (The NASA photograph is found in this article where you can learn more about another cause for supply chain interruptions: "Panama Canal Traffic Backup.")   

The Vigars & Salter Western Invitational

Running Around in London

  One fine day last week I was playing golf badly up at the Thames Valley Golf Course when I spotted Bob Vigars who I have spotted many times over the last fifty years, mainly up at UWO and Western. While we played, Bob worked, dutifully spray painting arrows to indicate the directions the runners were to follow in the University cross-country meet which bears his name, and the name of Bill Salter, a teacher and coach who has helped organize the meet over the years. Although Bob retired from Western about a decade ago, he continues to be actively involved with the Invitational and his dedication spurred me to attend. I am glad I did.

  Given that our 'local' newspaper is 'local' in name only and that it provides no news on Monday, many local activities are overlooked or undereported. The few remaining reporters are dedicated, but they can only do so much. For that reason, I will offer a few words here about The Vigars & Salter Western Invitational and then a few more about Vigars from reporters like Dalla Costa, back when the regional coverage was more robust. It also saves me the work of having to tally up all of Vigar's accomplishments. 

    The day of the Invitational was a fine one as well and the Thames Valley is a scenic place in which to run. For those of us who are older and out of shape, it is perhaps more depressing than inspiring to see so many fit men and women effortlessly gamboling all around the course, prior to running a grueling eight-kilometres. 

     There were over fifteen teams from all across the country and the spectacle was a colourful one with all the Varsity Blues and McGill Redbirds and Carabins and Martlets gathered on the green fairways. The female Thunderbirds are fleet footed and five of them were among the top ten with Kyla Becker way out in front. I see that she is from Portland, Oregon. Queens from closer by, was first among the men's teams and again the UBC Thunderbirds were near the top, in second place.

The Mustang women finished in second and the men in sixth. 

The 2023 U Sports Cross Country Championship

   Londoners will again have the opportunity to see athletes from across the country compete in a cross country national event to be held on the Thames Valley Golf Course. Save this date: Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023. For more details, click here. 

The Bonus: 

  It was not that long ago that women were not allowed to compete in long distance running events. See, "Women Running Around."

  For an actual golf event at Thames Valley, which was described by Gene Sarazen as one of the finest public courses in North America, read about the Canadian Open held there 90 years ago: "Joy in Mudville." 

  The bonus for me, riding my bike home after the Invitational, was seeing this large buck crossing the Thames.

Additional Sources:

  Here are some samples from the old days, back before London and other communities became "news deserts."

"From 'Nothing'To Hall-Worthy; Bob Vigars Honoured for Decades of Dominance as Western Running Coach," Ryan Pyette, The Londoner, Oct. 24, 2019.

  "Fifty years ago, Bob Vigars was in the J.W. Little Stadium stands at a regional track meet and overheard a couple of high schoolers talking about which university they were going to run at the following year.

  "One says Central Michigan, another says Toronto and another guy says, 'Hey, I thought you were going to Western,'" the longtime former Mustangs cross-country coach said, "and the kid says, 'That place is s--. They've got nothing.'I was listening to them and thought, 'Man, I've got some work to do here.'" Last week, Vigars and Peter Fowler, the orthopedic surgeon who was medical director of Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic, received lifetime achievement awards at the Mustangs Sports Hall of Fame induction dinner, a signature event at Western Homecoming.

   Since the Canadian university structure started officially recognizing national championships in team sports in 1961-62, the London school has won 34 of them. Vigars accounted for 14 of those - 11 in cross-country and three in track and field - in his 46-year coaching career.

  His women's cross-country teams own seven national crowns (tied with football for most in school annals) and his superb 1981-84 squads remain the only Mustangs program to win four consecutive Canadian titles."

"Western International Cross Country: Race Renamed for Longtime Organizer Bill Salter: 'Amazing' Long Time Meet Organizer Immortalized," Morris Dalla Costa, London Free Press, Sept. 21, 2017.

   "Before the runners go off though they'll find out they won't be running in the Western International Cross-Country Invitational, but will be in the newly named Bill Salter Western International.

   Salter was a teacher, multisport coach and helped organize this meet as race manager from it's inception until 2013. He was still involved until last year.

   Salter, 85, was recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer.

   Bob Vigars, long-time track and cross-country coach at Western, and several others including current track and field coach Vickie Croley, weren't about to let Salter's contributions go unnoticed. Vigars is retired but still scores the Western International.

   "Bill has done so very much good for me personally over decades and he has done a ton of good for Western," Vigars said. "He's done so much not just for cross-country but for the W-Club and so much more. He's just amazing...

   The meet started in 1975 and was moved to Thames Valley in 1986."

"Simpson, Vigars Heading to London Hall of Fame," Jacob Robinson, Londoner, May 16, 2013.

   "They say "timing is everything," and the London Sports Hall of Fame's 2013 inductee announcement couldn't have come at better juncture for Bob Vigars.

   The St. Thomas native was notified of his induction just a few months before he'll put the bow on his 46-year career as Western Mustangs cross country head coach.

   "I've been very, very fortunate to have been blessed to have so many good teams over the years," Vigars said. "You don't win championships without good athletes -- it's the athletes that won it, I just happened to be the coach."

   The man who led the Mustangs to 16 Ontario and 11 Canadian titles (most ever for Mustang coaches) and won CIS coach of the year 14 times in the process, Vigars will also retire from teaching next winter. His legacy with both the cross country and track and field scene in southwestern Ontario is undeniable, but Vigars is also well versed in London's entire sports history."

"Vigars Will Finally Put His Feet Up," Morris Dalla Costa, London Free Press, Sept. 5, 2013.

   "Bob Vigars, one of the best and best-known coaches in North American university track and field and cross-country running, will retire from coaching in December after 46 years of developing runners at Western University.

   Vigars is a man with a big personality and has been tireless in his pursuit of making runners better, promoting Western teams and building the sport.

   He won a remarkable 42 championships, including 14 national and 28 Ontario titles.

   He has the most wins of any coach in Western history...."

   "Vigars has coached six teams at Western....

"The first women's championship for Vigars was the 1971 OUA title in gymnastics."

"End of An Era: Induction Caps Vigars' 45-year Career," Steve Green, London Free Press, Nov. 7, 2023.

   "Sports have been played at Western for a century. It only seems like Bob Vigars has been around from the start.

   He's been there for almost half of it, though, and the longest-serving head coach in the university's history is retiring at the end of the year. The legacy the 69-year-old leaves behind in university cross-country and track and field in unparallelled -- 14 CIS crowns, 28 OUA titles and a similar number of Canadian and Ontario coach of the year honours.

   The St. Thomas native has coached Olympians such as Jeff Glass and he even guided the women's gymnastics team for three years. And it was mostly because of him that women's cross-country became an official CIS sport in 1980 -- he started a women's team in 1974, one year before women were allowed to run university cross-country.

   All of which makes him a more than suitable addition to the London Sports Hall of Fame, which he'll enter Thursday night at the induction ceremony at the Western Fair District's Carousel Room."

Also:
http://metrasmuseum.ca/words-from-bob-vigars/

https://athleticsontario.ca/hof-2017-bob-vigars/

https://westernmustangs.ca/sports/2010/8/19/CROSS_0819103321.aspx?id=560 

Of Things Balzacian

He Loved Pears (Factlet 14)

   It is much easier to find interesting things to relate than to create something interesting to read. I have not, however, used this stall tactic for a while. It was back in the spring of 2022 when I provided you with a "Factlet" and gave you three at once. If you want to learn more about the woman who ran 167 miles in one day, or high real estate prices around Toronto, or the number of First Nation communities in Canada see, "A Few More Factlets." While you are reading that and what is to follow, I will try to  create something interesting.

   Why I stumbled upon this fascinating food-related information, I don't recall. But, at least I remembered where it was found. It is in the New York Review of Books in a review written by Edmund White of the book: Balzac's Omelette: A Delicious Tour of French Food and Culture with Honoré de Balzac, by Anka Muhlstein, (Jan. 12, 2012.) Why I was reading such a review, I don't know, but was probably just stalling. 

    When Balzac worked, he didn't eat much:

"During his intense, prolonged bouts of composition all night long and well into the day he drank only water and coffee and ate nothing but fruit. Muhlstein adds:

Occasionally he took a boiled egg at about nine o’clock in the morning or sardines mashed with butter if he was hungry; then a chicken wing or a slice of roast lamb in the evening, and he ended his meal with a cup or two of excellent black coffee without sugar."

   But, when he was done writing he started eating:

"If Balzac was abstemious while writing, once he’d completed a book and the proofs were sent off to the printer, he sped to a restaurant, downed a hundred oysters as a starter, washing them down with four bottles of white wine, then ordered the rest of the meal: twelve salt meadow lamb cutlets with no sauce, a duckling with turnips, a brace of roast partridge, a Normandy sole, not to mention extravagances like dessert and special fruit such as Comice pears, which he ate by the dozen. Once sated, he usually sent the bill to his publishers."

  And here is the pear part:
"Parisians were obsessed with oysters; six million dozen were consumed a year. Pears had a special appeal for Balzac; he often kept bushels of them at home and could eat as many as forty or fifty in a day (one February he had 1,500 pears in his cellar). In any event, perfect fruits in a wide variety and even off-season were available only in Paris. As a young man Balzac was so poor and abstemious that he was very thin; only later did his binge eating result in his big stomach."

The Dying of the Rich or Famous
   Balzac may have died from the over consumption of caffeine. Most of you are morbidly curious, so I will remind you of an interesting book that deals with the diseases of those stationed above us, presidents, prime ministers, authors, actors, etc. It was written over 60 years ago, however, so you will learn from it, only information about the diseases of those long dead. If you are looking for a book project, an updating of the book mentioned below would be a worthy one. Although the Internet now makes it easy to learn how the famous have suffered or died, gathering such information in one place, along with the related medical information would be useful. For, as the author of this book says: “Interest and curiosity in the abnormalities of others is perhaps the most widespread human trait shared more or less equally by peoples everywhere, and of every time.” 
   The book is: Disease and Destiny: A Bibliography of Medical References to the Famous. For much more information see: "Judson Bennett Gilbert (1898 -1950)."

  If you are interested in things culinary see, "Food History." If you want to know more about "clean" eating or the eating of placentas see, "Forbidden Food."

LINE 5 AGAIN

 

STILL UNDER THE WATER AND UNDER THE RADAR

   Just over a couple of years ago I wrote about Line 5 and in the post you will see a picture of the the Sarnia-Lambton MP, Marilyn Gladu pointing toward a sign indicating that many in the area would lose jobs if Line 5 was shutdown. Background was provided along with some sources and you can read it here. 

  If you are like many others, you probably don't recognize Line 5 which is not as well known as Keystone or even the long ago Maginot. It carries fossil fuels from Alberta all the way to Sarnia and beyond. It helps keep things running and people warm. A couple of years ago, Governor Gretchen in Michigan ordered it shut down, which is why I wrote about it. Now a judge in Wisconsin again has ordered it shut off. Canada has objected again and the oil continues to flow. 

  I find it curious that the issue is not much discussed. The more recent Line 5 ruling involves Indigenous rights because the pipeline passes through land occupied by the Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin. I can understand why many don't care about that and I realize that it is likely that you are about to stop reading.

  But, the earlier shut down ordered by Governor Whitmer was requested because of environmental concerns. The pipeline, you see, runs under the Straits of Mackinac and it is argued that a rupture of it would be devastating for not just one Great Lake. Line 5 turned 70 this year and perhaps, in 'pipeline years', it is older than both President Biden or aspirant Trump and age is a factor that should be considered. As well, pipelines can be treated just as roughly as presidential candidates.  Plus, there have been other spills involving Enbridge pipelines including one fairly close by in the Kalamazoo River.

  Even more curious is the fact that it is the Canadian government that opposes the shutdown. It would be less curious, perhaps, if the government was a Tory one. It is not surprising, however, that even Trudeau wants to keep things as is, since state, provincial, federal, international, Indigenous, labour and environmental actors are involved and most Canadians seem not to be worried about a pipe that may not burst.

Sunset on the Mackinac Straits

  Sources:

   This recent piece explains the situation well. It is found in a publication with a fine subtitle: "Michigan Pipeline Standoff Could Affect Indigenous Rights Across the US," Mike Shriberg, The Conversation: Academic Rigour, Journalistic Flair, August 16, 2023. It was republished in The Detroit Free Press on Sept.10, under this title: "Proxy Fight in Straits Could Decide Who Gets to Draw a Line in Sand." The text is presented here and parts of it are bolded by me for emphasis. It is followed by the more recent shutdown ruling.

As the author of the article says at the end, "Your Turn."

The article:

"Should states and Indigenous nations be able to influence energy projects they view as harmful or contrary to their laws and values? This question lies at the center of a heated debate over Enbridge Energy's Line 5 pipeline, which carries oil and natural gas across Michigan and Wisconsin.

Courts, regulatory agencies and political leaders are deciding whether Enbridge should be allowed to keep its pipeline in place, with upgrades, for another 99 years. The State of Michigan and the Bad River Tribe in Wisconsin want to close the pipeline down immediately.

My expertise is in Great Lakes water and energy policy, environmental protection and sustainability leadership. I have analyzed and taught these issues as a sustainability scholar, and I have worked on them as the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes regional executive director from 2015 until early 2023.

In my view, the future of Line 5 has become a defining issue for the future of the Great Lakes region. It also could set an important precedent for reconciling energy choices with state regulatory authority, and Native American rights.

A Canadian pipeline through the US Midwest

Line 5, built in 1953, runs 643 miles from Superior, Wis., to Sarnia, Ontario. It carries up to 23 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids daily, produced mainly from Canadian tar sands in Alberta.

Most of this oil and gas goes to refineries in Ontario and Quebec. Some remains in the U.S. for propane production or processing at refineries in Michigan and Ohio.

Controversy over Line 5 centers mainly on two locations: the Straits of Mackinac, and the Bad River Band Reservation in Wisconsin, where the pipeline crosses tribal land.

Line 5 crosses through the open water of the Straits of Mackinac in twin pipelines that rest on the lake bottom in some stretches, and are suspended above it in others. The route lies within an easement granted by the State of Michigan in 1953.

The Straits of Mackinac are one of the most iconic settings in the Great Lakes. They include hundreds of islands and miles of shorelines rimmed with forests and wetlands. Scenic Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, a popular resort area since the mid-1800s, is Michigan's top tourist destination.

The straits also have long been spiritually important for Great Lakes tribes. Michigan acknowledges that the Chippewa and Ottawa peoples hold treaty-protected fishing rights that center on the Mackinac region.

The Line 6b spill

In 2010, another Enbridge pipeline, Line 6b, ruptured near the Kalamazoo River in southern Michigan, spilling over 1 million gallons of heavy crude. Line 6b is part of a parallel route to Line 5, and the cleanup continues more than a decade later.

The spill, and Enbridge's slow, bungled response and lack of transparency, led to scrutiny of other Enbridge pipelines, including Line 5.

In a 2014 analysis, University of Michigan oceanographer David J. Schwab concluded that the Straits of Mackinac were the "worst possible place" for a Great Lakes oil spill because of high-speed currents that were unpredictable, and reversed frequently. Within 20 days of a spill, Schwab estimated, oil could be carried up to 50 miles from the site into Lakes Michigan and Huron, fouling drinking water intakes, beaches and other critical areas.

This, and other research, intensified a burgeoning advocacy campaign by pipeline opponents, including regional and national environmental organizations, Indigenous leaders and advocates and a newly formed network of local and regional businesses.

Pipeline supporters include the American Petroleum Institute and others in the fossil fuel industry, many conservative lawmakers, several key labor unions and the government of Canada. They argue that the current pipeline is safe, violates no federal laws and is a key piece of infrastructure that helps keep energy costs low.

Michigan revokes its easement

After years of scrutiny, including the formation of the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board and two expert reports commissioned by the state, analyses showed that Enbridge was violating provisions of its easement. Most notably, the section of Line 5 that ran under the straits lacked proper anchors and coating, increasing the threat of a rupture. The state concluded that the easement violated the public trust doctrine — the idea that government should protect certain natural resources, including waterways, for public use.

State reports concluded that the highest risk for rupture was from anchor strikes. Environmental nongovernment organizations found that Line 5 had already leaked more than 1 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids. On April 1, 2018, a boat anchor struck the pipeline and nearly ruptured it, temporarily shutting Line 5 it down.

In 2019, Gov. Rick Snyder was succeeded by Gretchen Whitmer, who pledged in her campaign to close Line 5. Seeking to avert a shutdown, Enbridge proposed building a tunnel beneath the lake bed to protect the pipeline.

But after more analysis — and another anchor strike that temporarily shut down the pipeline again — Whitmer issued an order in November of 2020 revoking Enbridge's easement and giving the company six months to close Line 5. The state sought a court order to support its decision.

Instead of accepting state orders, Enbridge resisted. The company argued that Michigan lacked authority to tell it how to manage the pipeline, that the project had not required an easement in 1953, and that building the tunnel would mitigate any risks.

Enbridge sued Michigan in federal court, arguing that pipeline safety regulation was a federal issue, and that the state had no authority to intervene in what was essentially international commerce.

Challenging state and tribal authority

Enbridge also faced pressure from the Bad River Tribe in Wisconsin, where some 12 miles of the pipeline runs through the Bad River Band reservation and across the Bad River. Enbridge's easement on parts of the reservation expired in 2013, and in 2017 the tribal council voted to evict Enbridge from their land, calling the pipeline a threat to the river and their culture.

When Enbridge continued operating Line 5, the tribe sued the company in federal court in 2019, charging it with trespass, unjust enrichment and other offenses, and sought to get the pipeline closed.

Today, Michigan's case against Enbridge is bogged down in jurisdictional battles. But on June 16, 2023, the federal judge overseeing the Bad River case ruled largely in favor of the tribe and ordered Enbridge to stop operating the pipeline on tribal land within three years. Enbridge vowed to appeal the ruling, but is also seeking permits for a 41-mile reroute of Line 5 around the reservation.

A national precedent

Line 5 is more than a Michigan issue. It has become a focus for national activism and is a major diplomatic issue between Canada and President Joe Biden, who has worked to balance his ties with organized labor and his support for a clean energy transition, and has avoided taking a side to date.

To continue operating Line 5, Enbridge will have to convince the courts that its interests and legal arguments outweigh those of an Indigenous nation and the State of Michigan. But if the courts rule against Enbridge, it would be the first time an active fossil fuel pipeline has been closed due to potential environmental and cultural damage.

The outcome could set a precedent for other pipeline and fossil fuel infrastructure battles, from the mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Coast. Ultimately, in my view, Line 5 is an under-the-radar but critical proxy battle for how, when and under what authority the phasing out of fossil fuels will proceed.

Mike Shriberg is a professor in the School for Environment & Sustainability at the University of Michigan, a former Great Lakes Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation, and a former gubernatorial appointee under Gov. Rick Snyder to the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

Your Turn

Mike Shriberg

The New Shutdown Order

"Undo Line 5 Shutdown Order, Federal Government's Filing Urges U.S. appeals Court, The Canadian Press, Sept. 18, 2023

WASHINGTON — "Ottawa is urging a U.S. appeals court to reverse a Wisconsin judge's order that threatens to shut down the Line 5 cross-border pipeline by June 2026.

Forcing a shutdown would violate Canada's treaty rights, government lawyers argue in an amicus brief filed today with the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

A Wisconsin court ruling in June gave Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. an ultimatum: reroute the pipeline around an Indigenous reserve within three years or shut it down.

Enbridge plans a 66-kilometre detour to replace the 19-kilometre stretch that runs through the sovereign territory of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa.

Both sides are appealing the decision — Enbridge wants more time to finish the reroute, while lawyers for the band want the taps turned off for good.

The band and its environmental allies fear a spill inside an ecologically sensitive and flood-prone Lake Superior watershed on the Bad River reserve."

Fishing For Money

 

The White Marlin Open

   This is not a fish story. "The White Marlin Open" which has been open and ongoing for 50 years, really is the "World's Largest & Richest Billfish Tournament." The port from which the contestants venture forth is Ocean City, Maryland. When we visited back in early April, there were many signs promoting the tournament which has now been completed. I thought I would take a look and see what happened. While I am looking and you are waiting, you can read or re-read my earlier account about visiting Ocean City in "Blogging While Travelling." 

  In that post, I did not focus on the rowdier aspects of the resort since we deliberately went before Memorial Day to enjoy the unoccupied ocean beach. From then until Labour Day, the place is a festive one and I suppose the reporting during that period would be more exciting, but I can assure you that this account about the fishing tournament is likely to be more rewarding than you might think. If you would like a sample of the more raucous side, simply visit the website of SEACRETS. It is a mini-Jamaica on the bay side where there are 15+bars and a distillery. Palm trees are trucked in every spring, but if you don't want to drink under them or in one of the many bars, you can drink right in the Isle of Wright Bay. 

   Rather than focus on the summer-long, "Spring Break" atmosphere and those people who spend a great deal of money drinking, I will now report on the fisherpeople who win large sums of money fishing (and likely drink some while doing so.) Here are some of the results which were taken from the WMO site or other sources. The prize amounts will seem confusing since someone in fourth may have won more than someone in second. That has to do with things like the type of contestant and the fish. The WMO rule book is 12 pp. of small type and that does not include the IFGA rules. As well, there is an additional information sheet where you can find out if it is legal to use a "FLIPPY FLOPPY" or a "STINKY TINKY." And, if you win a large amount, you may be asked to take a polygraph test. 

Blue Marlin

John Ols of Laytonsville, Md., was this year's big money winner, reeling in a 640.5-pound blue marlin aboard the Floor Reel out of Ocean City to take home $6,200,000.

Tuna

First place: Brian Stewart of Shady Side, Md., reeled in a 265-pound tuna aboard the Reel Tight out of Ocean City to take home $1M.

Second place: Chris Mentlik of Street, Md., reeled in a 221.5-pound tuna aboard the Fishlik out of Chincoteage to take home $360,000.

Third place: John Zimmerman of Boynton Beach, Fla., reeled in a 221.5-pound tuna aboard the Game Over out of Ocean City to take home $160,000.

Fourth place: Rusty Shriver of Leonardtown, Md., reeled in a 215-pound tuna aboard the Ro Sham Bo out of Ocean City to take home $1,700,000.

Wahoo

First place: John Harris of Boyertown, Pa., reeled in a 57-pound wahoo aboard the "Shooting Star" out of Indian River to take home $2,000.

Second place: Chad Jackson of Fory Myers, Fla., reeled in a 55-pound wahoo aboard the Captain Deadley out of Ocean City to take home $28,000.

Third place: Matthew Gessler, 15, of Chadds Ford, Pa., reeled in a 46-pound wahoo aboard the Boy's Toy out of Indian River to take home $26,000.

Dolphin

First place: Andrew Spangenberger of New Freedom, Pa., reeled in a 50.5-pound dolphin aboard the Roncito out of Ocean City to take home $25,000.

Second place: Timothy Goodman of Palm Beach, Fla., reeled in a 32-pound dolphin aboard the Aquila out of Beach Haven, N.J., to take home $78,000.
Third place: Will Mcateer of Kent Island, Md., reeled in a 31-pound dolphin aboard the Maverick out of Ocean City to take home $27,000.

White Marlin

  Ironically enough, there were no White Marlin caught at this year's White Marlin Tournament. But, the total payout was around $10.5 MILLION. 

The Bonus:

   Michael Jordan often competes in this tournament and did so again this year. Just about all you need to know is found in this title: "Michael Jordan Took His $8 Million Fishing Boat, Catch 23, to the White Marlin Open Competition: The 84-Foot-Long Vessel, Wrapped in Elephant Print, Costs a Whopping $1 Million Annually to Operate," Neha Tandon Sharma, Luxurylaunches.com, Aug. 14, 2023.

   I followed him farther north to the "Midatlantic Fishing Tournament" and learned this: "In total, the tournament paid out $5.79 million to 35 boat crews. Jordan's boat Catch 23, by the way, took home $462,318 for a 75-pound white marlin, good for third in that category."

The person who chose the name for Jordan's boat also deserves some credit.

Sources:

To prove that this is not just a fish story, here are some sources. 

   The website of "The White Marlin Open" contains all the rules and regulations and you will also find some archival issues of the White Marlin Open magazine. The recent issue has this article: "How OC Became the White Marlin Capital of the World." For another history of the event see: "The White Marlin Open: A History Lesson," Jan Fogt, Marlin Magazine, March 6, 2015.

  For coverage of this year's WMO see: "White Marlin Open 2023 Final Leaderboard: A $6.2M Blue Marlin is Big Winner," Keith Demko, Delmarva Now, August 12, 2023.

   The "Midatlantic Tournament" numbers were found in: "Sports Outdoors: Pipe Dreamer Wins $1.18M in MidAtlantic With Blue Marlin Catch," Dan Radel, Asbury Park Press, August 30, 2023.

  The more sensitive readers of MM may be disappointed that I did not mention the more serious subjects related to fishing, namely overfishing and endangered species. The issue of "conservation" is raised on both the website of the WMO and in the article about the history of the event. Many of the fish caught are released, although admittedly the process is not painless.  In short, industrial fishing is more problematic than sports fishing and those engaged in the sport are often ardent protectors of the things they wish to fish or hunt. Sushi eaters should be reluctant to throw stones, and appreciate the irony.

Some Perspective: 

   Perspective is somewhat difficult to apply when you compare fishing to putting or angling to golfing, but in the most recent PGA Fortinet Championship which was held on a golf course, Sahith Theegala won and received $1.512 million. If you weren't reading carefully the bit above, you may not have noticed that the winner of the WMO received $6,200,000 and another guy got $1,700,00 for catching a tuna.

OLDE POSTS ADDENDA

   Fall is in the air, but the weather has not been bad enough to force me back inside. It is for that reason that my few readers have returned day-after-day only to  see those same baby chicks staring from the top page of Mulcahy's Miscellany. I will now attempt to put them at the bottom of this post. All 45,000 of them are, by the way, still missing as far as I know.

  I do, of course, come in in the evening, but by then it is usually "5 o'clock Somewhere" and I typically spend more time drinking than writing, or thinking about things about which to write. Perhaps tonight we should all have another Margarita while thinking about Jimmy Buffett. 

  With worse weather perhaps my productivity will increase. For now I will simply offer some updates to old posts. Although I generally leave the "Breaking News" to the many who claim to be offering only news that is breaking, even some of my obscure topics sometimes surface, although not on the first page or screen. Five are presented below and if you combine them with the originals you will have amassed a fair amount of information which you can use to impress those who read only the breaking news. While you are digesting what follows, I will try to work on some new subjects for the dreary days ahead.

BUTTER

  It was late in August of last year that I wrote about BUTTER and told you about the sculptures that were still being carved from it at the Minnesota State Fair. You had already learned about butter sculptures (and palaces made from corn) in an earlier piece about the mysteriously named, “The  Land of Cockaigne.” I am pleased to report that things are still rocking at the Fair in St.Paul and that the likeness of a new “Princess Kay of the Milky Way” has been produced from a 90-pound block of Grade AA Butter at this “agriculture Disneyland.” If you read the article below, you will also learn about “Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar,” where you can get a bucket full of them without depleting her inventory since she can make 44,000 cookies in 12 minutes.
“At Agriculture Disneyland, Butter Princesses Reign Supreme: Where Can You Find Dairy Royalty, Pork Chops on a Stick and Sen. Amy Klobuchar? The Minnesota State Fair,” Natalie. B. Compton, Washington Post, Sept. 2, 2023.
   P.S. Some Canadian content is also provided. In addition to pork chops on a stick you can also get “Pizza-on-a Stick” which is made by Tino Lettieri who was raised in Canada and played for the Montreal Castors, the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Hamilton Steelers. “"Pizza-on-a-Stick" is one of my dearest friends — he was in my wedding,” Rick Born said of Tino’s Pizza-on-a-Stick founder Tino Lettieri. “He’s actually in the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame, and his son plays for the Minnesota Wild.” (I continue to be amazed about what can be learned from MM.)

FINE PRINTING: MR. TOROSIAN AND LUMIERE PRESS

  The relatively unknown Michael Torosian and his Lumiere Press are again profiled in an article in The Globe and Mail: “Printer Savant Pays Homage to Bygone Era of Publishing, Photography,” by Kate Taylor (July 19, 2023.) You can learn more about an earlier profile in the G&M by reading this post from MM in 2018. Mr. Torosian’s archive has been acquired by the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the U. of T. and he has published this book: Lumiere Press: Printer Savant & Other Stories and you can place an order for it here. 

     In the new article, Mr. Torosian is asked questions and here is one, along with the answer: “You trained as a photographer at what is now Toronto Metropolitan University but had no credentials in publishing. How did you start?”

   When I came up in the seventies there were very few galleries, few museums showing photography. It was almost like an underground network where the language was passed on and studied through books rather than through exhibitions. Books were the medium of photography.

It was a matter of finding a way to do it that worked for me. Because the industrial method of trying to compete with big publishers is lunacy. I saw photographer after photographer attempt it and they would end up with a basement full of books they didn’t know what to do with." Lead type and the letterpress disappeared from commercial publishing in the late 1970s, but you don’t fetishize the old technology. You also use digital means to reproduce some photos. Why the letterpress?

It’s indisputable that the most beautiful way of getting words on paper is with lead type on a letterpress. The technology has been around for 500 years and nobody really figured out a way of making it better.

When I discovered it, it wasn’t totally antiquated yet, but it really wasn’t commercially viable for the big companies. Big printing plants, newspapers and book publishers were dumping all their equipment. What had been exorbitantly expensive equipment was being sold for just a bit over scrap value. So, I hit the sweet spot, the moment where I could scoop up all this stuff and set up my own shop."

YOSEF WOSK

     Another person about whom more should be known is Dr. Wosk who lives in Vancouver. I mentioned him when I stumbled into a library named for him at the VanDusen Botanical Gardens, (see: Unexpected Libraries.) Recently Dr. Wosk won the “Freedom of the City Award”, which is the highest award given by Vancouver and “only in exceptional cases to individuals of the highest merit.” (see: Yosef Wosk.)

    Just a  few excerpts from this article will prove that Dr. Wosk (also a rabbi) is worth your attention. 

“Yosef Wosk has a dream. The academic, philanthropist and scion of a famous Vancouver family envisions a conservatory in the back of his Shaughnessy heritage home that will house his extensive collection of art and books….

“I think of the house as an emanation of the spirit,” he says of the home, one of several heritage projects he’s undertaken over the years. He helped restore the B.C. Permanent Building, a temple bank from 1907, filled with stained glass, as well as the first highrises in the West End, the iconic four-building Beach Towers complex he co-owned for 40 years, built in the 60s by midcentury architect Charles Van Norman. He’s a curator, patron of the arts, author and poet. He’s also a major donor to heritage conservation, galleries and museums, and various charities. But lately he’s become more circumspect about the projects he’ll take on, and how he spends his time, which is growing more valuable….

His father, who died in 2002, was also a celebrated philanthropist whose namesake is the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, to which he contributed $3-million. The Wosks left Odessa, Ukraine, in 1928 with next to nothing, and settled in a Jewish community at the time on Parker Street, on the city’s east side, peddling refurbished pots and pans….

He is devoting his time to several volumes of writing and his immense, eclectic art collection. So far in his prolific career, he’s obtained two PhDs, a Masters in theology from Harvard, the Order of Canada, the Order of B.C., the Freedom of the City of Vancouver, several honorary doctorates and accolades too numerous to count. At one point, he received the key to the city of Medford, Mass., for his contributions to that city. He put his work and accomplishments into a curriculum vitae, which is 767 pages long and still not comprehensive…”

These excerpts are from: “Yosef Wosk, Academic, Philanthropist and Art Collector, is Building a Gallery in His Own Backyard,” Kerry Gold, The Globe and Mail, Oct. 21, 2022. Ms Gold also wrote about Wosk more than a decade ago: "A Home With 'Character in Every Corner'," Kerry Gold, The Globe and Mail, April 22, 2010.

Crikey! WORMS AGAIN: But in Australia, Not Africa.

 Five years ago you were told about a gentleman who discovered a worm crossing his eyeball, and also that worms travelling in eye sockets had been spotted and written about by Mary Kingsley many years before in Travels in West Africa. See: "University of the Unusual (3); The Guinea Worm and Assorted Others.")

Here is a more recent headline about worms which have burrowed a little farther in: “She Was Depressed and Forgetful. It Was A Worm in Her Brain” Doctors in Australia Found a Three-inch Parasitic Worm in a Woman’s Brain During Surgery, After They Spent More Than a Year Trying to Find the Cause of Her Distress,” Amanda Holpuch, New York Times, Aug. 29, 2023. That’s the little fella, pictured above.
The explanation:  "An MRI showed that she had a brain lesion and, in June 2022, doctors performed a biopsy.

Inside the lesion, doctors found a “stringlike structure” and removed it. The structure was a red, live parasitic worm, about 3.15 inches long and .04 inches in diameter.

They determined that it was an Ophidascaris robertsi, a type of roundworm that is native to Australia and reproduces in a large snake, the carpet python, which takes its name from its intricate markings. The pythons shed the worm’s eggs in their feces. The eggs are then ingested by small mammals, and the worms can grow inside them….” 

The patient in this case resided near a lake area inhabited by carpet pythons. Despite no direct snake contact, she often collected native vegetation, warrigal greens (Tetragonia tetragonioides), from around the lake to use in cooking. We hypothesized that she inadvertently consumed O. robertsi eggs either directly from the vegetation or indirectly by contamination of her hands or kitchen equipment."

Jersey Girls STILL Don't Have to Pump Gas!

   Last year I pointed out that "Jersey Girls Don't Pump Gas!" and that is still the case. At that time, I also indicated that there was only one other state down in "The Land of the Free" where you were not free to fill up your own car. Oregon was that state, but now you are allowed to serve yourself, although many stations are still required to offer full service as well. So, this recent headline is now correct: "There's Only One State Left Where It's Illegal to Pump Your Own Gas," Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, August 9, 2023. That state is New Jersey. CNN also reported about the change in Oregon: "Oregon Drivers Are Now Allowed to Pump Their Own Fuel After the State Lifted a Ban Dating Back to 1951," Andy Rose, Aug. 6, 2023.

   If you are older you will remember that gas was always pumped for you and you were not allowed to do so yourself. If you are a youngster you will always have served yourself. This is one of the many benefits of progress. Those in New Jersey are not progressive in this respect since a poll recently revealed that most do not want stations to stop providing full service. I assume that if Canadians were polled on this issue, most would want to revert to the good old days and have an attendant serve them on the many cold and windy days, or the few truly hot ones.

  

   

I have run out of gas on this subject, but if you are now wondering why things changed, see my earlier post and these references:

NACS - "The History of Self-Fueling," Aug. 5, 2023

"First Gas Pump and Service Station," American Oil & Gas Historical Society.

"Filling Station Attendant," Wikipedia.

"Gasoline Stations," Mulcahy's Miscellany," Nov. 19, 2017

The Bonus:

   There are a few full service stations in London. Here is Ron Kraft Auto Care, on Huron Street where you can go if you prefer to be served. What a concept.  You will also find:

-"Gas attendants who serve you at the pump – stay in your vehicle in rain, snow or heat

-Mobile payment machine brought to your car window

-Wheelchair accessibility to accommodate all of our customers

-Auto propane & BBQ tank refills."

"Why have the smell of gas on your hands when we can pump it for you?

At Ron Kraft Auto Care, if you don’t want to leave your vehicle, no matter the weather, our attendant is right there to pump your gas for you. Just pay with the mobile payment machine brought right to your car window."